Potent Storms Set to Roam the Midwest

An area of low pressure will travel over the Plains today, causing the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon and evening.

Besides the potential for severe thunderstorms today, the other big weather story across the country is the huge heat dome that is in place over the West and South. The area of low pressure's interaction with this massive source of heat to its southwest will help fuel the thunderstorms as the day goes on. Also helping out with the possibility of severe thunderstorms will be strong west-northwest winds high up in the atmosphere. In the strongest thunderstorms, winds from these levels will be able punch into the lower atmosphere causing 60 to 70 mph wind gusts. Large hail and an isolated tornado or two also cannot be ruled out.

The government's Storm Prediction Center has issued a pair of Slight Risk areas (a level 2 out of 5 on the severe thunderstorm potential scale). This first area includes parts of south-central North Dakota and central South Dakota. The other stretches across east-central Iowa, northern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin into southern Michigan, northern Indiana and northwestern Ohio. Cites included under this risk include Milwaukee, Chicago and Peoria, Ill., Fort Wayne, Ind., and Toledo, Ohio.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for northeastern Illinois, northern Indiana, and southwestern Michigan, including Waukegan, Ill., South Bend, Ind., and Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Lansing, Mich.

As previously mentioned, extreme heat with sweltering and dangerous temperatures/heat indices will be found to the southwest off the low's path. As the storm treks along, it will be able to gather very warm and progressively more humid air that will add fuel for the fire with these thunderstorms.

Be sure to know the difference between a watch and a warning. A watch means that the conditions are in place to possibly produce severe weather conditions, while a warning indicates that those conditions are currently occurring. Be sure to have multiple ways to receive warnings, as storms will be occurring late tonight. Also, take caution if you are outdoors during a thunderstorm. Remember, “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!”